Method for and means of permanently waving hair



Jan. 10, 1939. c. o. MCINTOSH METHOD FOR AND MEANS OF PERMANENTLY WAVING HAIR Original Filed Sept. 3, 1935 INVENTOR. QYXZ 'fiZZ'oJ'Zz BY 7- ATTORNEY.

Patented Jan. 10, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQE Charles 0. McIntosh, Des Moines, Iowa Application September 3, 1935, Serial No. 38,922

Renewed July 29, 1938 2 Claims.

This invention relates to the permanent waving of hair and has as its principal objects a rapid, safe, and successful method of waving hair and leaving it, after the wave, soft and luxurious and of natural wave characteristics.

' A further object of this invention is to provide a method and means of permanently waving hair with oil that is sanitary and free from mussiness or oil drippings during the permanent waving operation.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a method of permanently waving hair that does not parch or burn the hair being waved, or leave an applicator mark on the hair and is rapidly performed without burning or giving discomfort to the patron.

A still further object of this invention is to provide an easily performed method of permanently waving hair that is economical and produces a wave that is highly durable.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a means of the oiled pad type of permanently waving hair that eliminates any necessity of wiping surplus oil or drippings from the pad engaging applicators and also eliminates any possibility of the pads accidentally slipping from the coils of hair after they have been placed around the same.

These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

My invention consists in the method or process or means hereinafter set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is an end view of one of my manually operated pad engaging applicators being heated prior to being placed on the head of the subject.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of one of my oiled pads ready for use.

Fig. 3 is a side view of an ordinary spool rod and my spool rod holding divider clamp for holding the hair in a coiled or wrapped condition during the permanent waving operation.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional View of a spool rod upon which is wrapped a strand of hair and which is surrounded by a cold oil saturated pad prior to being engaged with a pre-heated pad engaging applicator.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an oiled pad and pad engaging applicator embracing a coiled strand of hair for the permanent waving of the same.

There are two chief methods of permanently waving hair today, comprising the usual electric heat method, and the comparatively new method of pre-heating the applicators before they are placed on the hair. My method and apparatus for accomplishing the same relates to that type of permanent waving of hair where the applicators, which are usually of metal, are pre-heated and then applied to the wound coils of hair. The most common practice is to place the oiled pad inside the metal applicator and then pre-heat both the metal applicator and oiled pad before the same are placed around the hair. This is objectionable as the oil in the pad tends to become more liquid under heat, resulting in the dripping of the oil and necessitating the wiping of this surplus oil from the applicator and/or pad before the same are placed on the hair.

Also, the pads must, by necessity, accurately fit the inside diameter of the metal applicator and not protrude below the metal applicator, for otherwise they would hold the applicator away from the heating plate or stove during the heating process. By these pads not extending beyond the jaws of the metal applicator, the metal applicator when placed on the hair engages the hair below the winding, thereby causing a burned mark or line across each curl of hair close to the scalp, which, obviously, is highly objectionable. Still another objection to the simultaneous preheating of the applicator and pad is that extremely high heated oil is too great a shock to the hair, thereby damaging it and producing an undesirable, dry, harsh, and parched wave. I have overcome such objections by placing the oiled pad in a cold state around the hair, thereby making it possible for a wider skirted pad to prevent the hot applicator from engaging any part of the hair of the subject and also permitting a more gradual raising of the temperature of the hair to permanent wave it. My process also embraces the highly desirable feature of pre-heating the applicator in a dry state, free from oil or liquids, thereby eliminatitng any necessity of wiping or cleaning the applicator just previous to its application on the head. By eliminating any necessity of wiping or cleaning the applicator it can be immediately moved to the hair with substantially all of its useful heat and all of the applicators upon reaching the head will, therefore, be of a uniform, even temperature, resulting in a uniform and evenly waved head of hair.

Referring to the drawing, I have used the numeral ID to designate a hot plate for pre-heating my applicators. This plate Ill may be heated by any suitable means such as fired fuel of any nature or it may be electrically heated, and in first saturated with a suitable liquid.

the drawing, I show an electric resistance wire Ii suitably positioned below the plate I and designed to be in communication with a source of electrical energy.

On top of the plate It I have a plurality of rod elements l2, shown in cross-section in Fig. 1, and preferably of the same material as the plate iii. Obviously, these elements l2 and plate It) may be considered as a single unit for the heating of my applicators. Although these elements 82 aid as supports for the applicators and tend to heat the applicators from the inside they may be dispensed with if desired and only a substantially fiat plate l0 employed. The numeral [3 designates a manually operated double-jawed applicator having the handles it and springs [5 to yieldingly hold the applicator jaws in closed positions. The numeral l6 designates my rectangular pad of cloth or similar material designed to be saturated with an oil solution. The numeral ll designates bendable, non-resilient rods secured in any suitable manner to the pad. The numeral l3 designates an ordinary spool rod generally used in the hair Waving art and around which the hair to be waved is wound. As; is well known, these spools are supported by clamp dividers Hi. This clamp divider L9, as shown in the drawing, is of conventional form except that I have provided two spaced apart spur members 28 on its base and which extend upwardly and outwardly at each side of the spool rod 58 to hook and engage the pad is, as shown in Fig. 5.

The practical operation of my method of permanently waving hair is as follows: The pads it, which are placed around each coil of hair, are I. find that various kinds of oils are highly successful, such as olive oil, sweet oil, lanolin, etc, or if desired, a combination of different types of oils may be used. These pads, however, should not be saturated with hair softening or curling solutions in.- asmuch as the liquid in the pad is merely. forthe purpose of acting as a vehicle for the transfer of heat to and into the hair and to maintain the hair in a somewhat oily condition during the permanent waving process in order that when the Wave isv finished the hair will nothave a dried, parched appearance. I do, however, use curling and softening solutions in my process and such solutions are placed. in the usual manner on the hair to be waved, after it has been washed, and before it has been wound or coiled around the rods 53. After the hair has thus been prepared around the rods. l8, as shown in Fig. 4, one of my pads 56 is pressed around the coiled hair with the side skirt portions of the pad flaring out, as shown in the drawing. These pads are placed on and around the coil of hair in a cold state, i, e. at normal atmospheric temperatures, and will easily remain on and around the coils of hair after being manually pressed into place by virtue of the bendable non-resilient rods ll. Obviously, other means may be used. to successfully hold the pads in proper place around the coils of hair. In the drawing, 1' show the two spurs extending from the center base of the divider l9 and the skirted side portions of the pads may be pressed into hooked engagement with these spurs, thereby further insuring th pads against accidental displacement before they are embraced and tightly clamped by the applicators. After the pads have been properly placed around the coils of hair the applicators is, which have been highly heated on the plate it, are removed therefrom and while still hot, placed around thepads be. as we have herebefore seen, of substan..al

respectively in clamped relationship, as shown in Fig. 5. Obviously, the sensible heat in the applicators will proceed to highly heat the pads around the coils of hair and this transfer of heat from the applicators to the hair will be facilitated by the oil in the pads which will act as a vehicle in the transfer'of this heat to and into each strand of hair. This raising of the temperature of the hair, however, .will be relatively gradual as compared to the method of subjecting the hair to previously high heated oil and when in such state, applied instantaneously to the hair. The applicators are left, on the head of the subject until they'have substantially cooled, after which they are removed, the hair taken down, and washed and wave-set in the usual manner.

When heating the applicators they are placed around the elements I2 with their lower ends resting on the upper surface of the plate it, as shown in Fig. 1. By this method of pre-heating the appli a r th s gs 5 y eldins o the applicators on the members 13,, preventing them from being knocked over or displaced. Also, the applicators are heated;- on their insides, where the heat is most needed and where they engage the oiled pads. Also, it will be noted that the elements i2 substantially prevent air circulation through the applicators which would result, if permitted, in undesirably cooling the applicators on their insides. As the applicators are not preheated in a hot liquid bath or pro-heated with oiled pads inside them, they 2316311138171 being removed from the plate ill, in a dry, clean state and do not necessitate any wiping of surplus fluid from them. before being placed on the head of the subject.

By the pads being placed on the hair wi being pie-heated with the. applicators the width to provide. side skirts below the applicator jaws, thereby thoroughly shielding and protecting the strand of hair leading to the spool rod $3 from engagement with the hot jaws of the applicator.

The number of applicators, pads, rods, etc., used on a head of hair will, of course, depend upon the, number of curls desired. The applicators may be made of any suitable material capable. of receiving and retaining heat, but I have found that metal applicators are the most satisfactory. The jaws of the applicator should be of suitable thickness in order to hold sufficient heat to produce the wave.

By heating the oil in the. pads irom'the sensible heat in the applicators there is less breaking down of the oils than if the pads holding the oil were pro-heated on the plate ill. I have found that if an attempt is made to heat the oiled pads directly from the plate it before being applied to the hair, the. pads and oil tend to cook and break down the oil, releasing undesirable soap acids which are highly harmful to the hair. Also, by placing the pads in a cold state on the hair obnoxious odors are eliminated which would not be true if the pads and applicators where heated together on the plate IE3. With the applicators heated in a dry state and free from oil on the plate iii, they may be taken directly from the plate to the hair, resulting in their maximum efiiciency and insuring a uniform temperature of all the applicators at the time they are placed on the head, which could not be possible if it were necessary to wipe them oil before placement on the head as certain of the applicators would require more cleaning than others and the time interval from the time they were lifted from the heating means to the head would vary.

From the above, it will readily be seen that I have provided a highly desirable method of and means for permanently waving hair.

I have used the numeral 2| to designate a strand of hair coiled around the spool l8.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of my improved method for and means of permanently Waving hair without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modified step-by-step procedure that might be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim:

1. The method of permanently waving hair, comprising the treating of the hair with a hair softening solution, the coiling of the hair around a rod-like element, the impregnating of a substantially wide rectangular pad member with an oil, the placement of the pad member substantially around the coil of hair on said rod-like element, the pre-heating of a double-jawed pad engaging member in a dry state free from liquid, applying the pre-heated double-jawed pad engaging member on and around that portion of the pad surrounding the coil of hair on said rodlike element, the adjustment of the two side edge portions of said pad whereby they will extend outwardly and from under the lower marginal edge portions of the two jaws of said pad engaging member respectively, the utilization of the sensible heat in said pre-heated pad engaging member for heating the pad, oil in the pad, and the hair surrounded by said pad, the removal of the pad and pad engaging member after they have substantially cooled, and lastly the washing and wave-setting of the hair.

2. The method of permanently waving hair, consisting in applying a clamp divider to the coil of hair to be waved, the coiling of the hair around an elongated member and the securing of the same to the clamp divider, the saturating of a pad member with an oil, the placement of the pad around the coil of hair on said elongated member and at substantially a normal atmospheric temperature, the securing of the pad to the said clamp divider, the pre-heating of a metallic pad engaging member in a dry state free from liquid, the applying of the same to said pad while it is still hot from said pre-heating, and lastly the removal of said pad engaging member and said pad from said hair.

CHARLES O. MCINTOSH. 

